Udvada finally gets a police station, near fire temple

Cops got their act together seven months after mid-day reported that a series of break-ins and burglaries were taking place in the Parsi town

Nearly seven months after mid-day reported about the quaint little town of Udvada and a spate of robberies and alleged armed assaults happening there due to no police presence, the cops have finally got their act together and built a new police station near Iranshah Atash Behram — the highest order fire temple for Parsis.

The new police station in Udvada that will soon be operational

The town is home to a dwindling Parsi-Irani population, now numbering no more than a hundred, with mostly senior citizens, who are easy targets of crime.

mid-day had reported about a dilapidated structure in one corner of the town, which once used to serve as a police chowki. The nearest police station was in Pardi, which was across the railway lines and used to take the residents up to 45 minutes to get there in case of an emergency. This time window was enough for any criminal to quickly flee after a robbing or assaulting someone.

Shahin Jamshed Mehershahi, manager of NM Wadia Dharamshala and vice president of a local political outfit, has been perusing the matter of construction of a new police station in Udvada with top police officials. Mehershahi said the police is prompt in responding to distress calls but it was the travel time from Pardi to interiors of Udvada that was a cause of major concern.

“The robbers target old bungalows in the hope of finding antiques. We are happy that our voices have been heard. Police and their support has always been very efficient and with this new set up I’m sure their efficiency and attendance would help make Udvada, a crime free town. The positive results are already manifesting,” Mehershahi said.

The criminal instances had scared the residents a lot. A resident of Udvada in her mid 70s, who did not wish to be named, said, “Old Parsi families were so terrified that they were scared to venture out after sunset. Now, with the extra police vigilance, things are returning back to normal.”

Cop speakPSI Bhupinder Singh Sarvaya of Pardi police station said, “Police patrolling in Udvada has been intensified and a five-member team had been given the responsibility of protecting the locals. Now, with the fully functional police chowki in place, it will be easier for people to approach the police and register complaints. We shall be taking charge formally soon.”